In honor of the University of Oregon Ducks playing the Ohio State Buckeyes in the inaugural college football championship, I thought it might be fun to extend the friendly rivalry into the sphere of natural history books.

Therefore, for the inaugural Natural History Book Bowl, it’s Guy Baldassarre’s two volume set of Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America from Johns Hopkins University Press against Princeton University Press’ Trees of Eastern North America (on page 634 of which can be found the profile of the Ohio Buckeye, Aesculus glabra) by  Gil Nelson, Christopher J. Earle & Richard Spellenberg.

Whether it’s on behalf of the book itself, the team playing in the game, or just to express your preference between waterfowl and soapberry trees, leave a comment below noting which side you’re supporting in this (admittedly a bit tongue-in-cheek) contest.

And just to make it a little more fun, one person leaving a comment below in favor of the book symbolically representing the side that wins the actual football game between the U of O and OSU on Monday, 12 January will be chosen at random to receive the copy of Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America or both Trees of Eastern North America AND Trees of Western North America courtesy of those respective books’ publishers.

Just as in the football championship, both of these books are – in my opinion, at least – the very best in their respective categories from 2014’s long list of high quality natural history books. Unlike the football game, however, where only one team will be declared the winner, both these books are worthy of the designation of champion and both deserve all the praise that comes with such a pinnacle of achievement.

(To keep things fair, comments left after 5:30 PM PST on 12 January 2015 – the beginning of the football game – will not be considered for the final drawing for the books.)